Getting in to it, but a few questions

[samg]

My dad and I are on our 9th brew, some have been better than others. The most recent has been in the bottles for 6 weeks and are still flat and cloudy, is there something we can do? or test?

A few more Q's for you helpful chaps!:

1. I've made a beer with dextrose sugar, we also done a grain boil, but there is practically no colour to the beer. Previously we used 'light' spray malt, which gave it colour. What can we do to add some colour?
   
   
2. We put 2 different batches in 5litre kegs, do they take longer to generate bubbles in the beer or less? I don't want to try one, in case it ruins the whole keg.
   
   
3. My brother has made some Coopers beer, and use pellets to put into the (plastic) bottles. After 4 weeks, nothing, so he opened a few and put sugar in and still an other 4 weeks and no bubbles, he also complains about the taste, but that might just be him not being used to it!

Thanks.

 

[hercher]

Regarding your current brew --

1. What temperature are you storing them at? Keep in mind, if they are refrigerated, they won't carbonate very quickly because the yeast is largely inactive.
2. What is the alcohol level of your beer? Very strong beers take longer to carbonate.
3. Are you certain you have a tight seal on your bottles?

Regarding color: you can steep darker grains, crystal malts, etc., to achieve your desired color.

Your kegs should not take any longer to carbonate than individual bottles.

 

[GibbyGibson]

For clarity of the beer, typically that haze comes from proteins that are left from not being thermally shocked out of suspension during the cold crash. Try to chill as quick as you can following the boil. You can also add Irish moss to the last 15 minutes of the boil to help with these protiens.

As for color, try playing around with specialty malts such crystal malts, black patent, etc. steep them at a lower temp (150-160) for about 30 minutes, remove, then add that "tea" into you brew kettle, bring it to a boil, then add your first round of LME/DME. (Assuming you are not doing all-grain brews).

Carbonation can be helped several ways. First check to see if you are adding the correct amount of priming sugar. Use a nomograph to get this info (Google it). Also, bottle condition you beer in room temp for up to three weeks. Then put it in the fridge prior to serving.

Hope this helps.

 

[RM-MN]

Your next step in the process is to read "How to Brew" by John Palmer. The newest edition is better but the first edition is available online for free at www.howtobrew.com The step after that is to post a recipe you have used with all the detail so we don't have to just guess at what you have done.

 

[samg]

Regarding your current brew --

1. What temperature are you storing them at? Keep in mind, if they are refrigerated, they won't carbonate very quickly because the yeast is largely inactive.
2. What is the alcohol level of your beer? Very strong beers take longer to carbonate.
3. Are you certain you have a tight seal on your bottles?

Regarding color: you can steep darker grains, crystal malts, etc., to achieve your desired color.

Your kegs should not take any longer to carbonate than individual bottles.

1. The beer is at room temp, in a dark corner. I'd say 18-20C.
2. ~5% ABV
3. Pretty certain, every batch we upturn a bottle or 2 to see if anything comes out.

For clarity of the beer, typically that haze comes from proteins that are left from not being thermally shocked out of suspension during the cold crash. Try to chill as quick as you can following the boil. You can also add Irish moss to the last 15 minutes of the boil to help with these protiens.

As for color, try playing around with specialty malts such crystal malts, black patent, etc. steep them at a lower temp (150-160) for about 30 minutes, remove, then add that "tea" into you brew kettle, bring it to a boil, then add your first round of LME/DME. (Assuming you are not doing all-grain brews).

Carbonation can be helped several ways. First check to see if you are adding the correct amount of priming sugar. Use a nomograph to get this info (Google it). Also, bottle condition you beer in room temp for up to three weeks. Then put it in the fridge prior to serving.

Hope this helps.

I was hoping to get some tips on improving the colour of the current beer. We used a very light 4.5EBC, which we've used before but with spraymalt rather than dextrose. I assume this means we need to use a much higher EBC grain if we just use the dextrose?

---------------------


I've attached a pic of the current batch, which is very light and also hasn't really started bubbling after 5 days in the vessel. Should we add more yeast, or does dextrose make it take longer? It's the only thing we've changed in the beer.

 

[hercher]

That is a very light beer. If you are 5 days in, and your SG hasn't dropped any, then you will need to add more yeast. (Mind, specific gravity readings are the only way to determine if fermentation is occurring.)

May I suggest you post your recipe for this, or one of your other beers, and your process, from brew day to bottling. That will help people diagnose your difficulty.

 

[samg]

The reading went from 1.050 to 1.044 in those 5 days. We've got more yeast if its worth adding.

Caramalt
English Goldings Hops
Brew Sugar (Dextrose)

Make 'tea' with caramalt for 25 minutes @ 70c
Remove grains
add brew sugar
bring to boil
Add 35g of hops for 45 mins
Add 25g of hops for 10 mins
Add 25g of hops for 5 mins
Cool
Pour into FV, top up to 26L, take reading, add yeast.


Our other beers are identical in process, just different hops and grain.

 

[GibbyGibson]

The dextrose shouldn't have any effect on the over all color of your beer. (I've never used it so I can't be certain). You can't change the color of your current beer since adding anything will put you at risk of infection. I may be wrong in this, so someone correct me please.

For your next batch, start choosing higher Lovibond malts (I believe you use ECB Scale). 4.5 will always be light in color. Carapils is designed to be that way. Steep you tea with darker malts to increase the ECB rating and make a darker beer. You can also use liquid or dry malt extract rather than the dextrose for your base malt. Extracts will come in different colors too, changing its ECB rating.

 

[samg]

The dextrose shouldn't have any effect on the over all color of your beer. (I've never used it so I can't be certain). You can't change the color of your current beer since adding anything will put you at risk of infection. I may be wrong in this, so someone correct me please.

For your next batch, start choosing higher Lovibond malts (I believe you use ECB Scale). 4.5 will always be light in color. Carapils is designed to be that way. Steep you tea with darker malts to increase the ECB rating and make a darker beer. You can also use liquid or dry malt extract rather than the dextrose for your base malt. Extracts will come in different colors too, changing its ECB rating.

Yes, I agree with what you are saying. I didn't think I could change it either.

Annoyingly the grain I'd like to use is that light. The recipes I'm doing are to see how I make beers that I like drinking in pubs. See the difference between theirs and mine.